Press Releases 2008
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Under Secretary Johnson attended the inauguration of the biodiesel plant, which receives funding from USDA’s Food for Progress program. |
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Acting U.S. Undersecretary for Food Safety Visits Guatemala
Guatemala, December 5, 2008
Acting Agriculture Under Secretary of Food Safety Elizabeth Johnson led a U.S. delegation to the 40th Session of the Codex Committee of Food Hygiene in Guatemala City, Guatemala from December 1-5.
Other members of the delegation included Administrator of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) Dr. Al Almanza, FSIS Deputy Administrator and U.S. Codex Office Director Bryce Quick, FSIS Chief Scientist and U.S. Codex Committee of Food Hygiene Chair Dr. Emilio Esteban, and Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Food Safety Savonne Caughey.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was created in 1963 by two United Nations organizations: the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex develops food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice in order to protect the health of consumers, to ensure fair food trade practices, and to promote coordination of food standards undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Guatemala and the United States co-hosted the 40th session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. Over 200 Codex representatives of countries from around the world participated in this meeting. Agenda items included technical issues which bear on international standards of food safety, such as guidelines for the control of Salmonella in chicken meat and microbiological criteria for powered formula for young children.
This was only the third time in the history of Codex that its Committee on Food Hygiene met outside of the United States. Previous international Codex Committee of Food Hygiene meetings outside of the U.S. took place in Argentina and in India.
For further information visit:
• About the Mazat Agui Biodiesel Plant
• About the 40th Codex Alimentarius Session
• Members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (official site)